YouTube Helps Companies Expand Reach

Marketing – It is what makes a company successful. Without effective marketing, company employees might sit at their desk and twirl their fingers. The phones would not ring. There would be no email. Money would not be made.

In this new era of technology, companies have to find new ways to reach their public. Technology is what drives society and it is constantly evolving. Websites, blogs, email, Twitter, and Facebook – it’s all about the social networking. Websites like YouTube cater to those of us that are visually stimulated. And companies are now taking advantage of this. There are a few great companies and small business owners alike using YouTube to their advantage.

Kenmore – Kenmore is my favorite company using social media, YouTube and video marketing to their advantage. Here in Chicago Kenmore has an awesome cooking studio called the Kenmore Live Studio. Imagine being in the audience at your favorite cooking show. Imagine being a part of the action. Imagine the whole show being tweeted and streamed live on Facebook. This is Kenmore. Most days of the week you can visit the Kenmore Live Studio for a taste of cooking, networking and fun. Each event is recorded and streamed live. After the event, the footage is edited down to make great additions to the Kenmore YouTube page. The channel currently has 772 subscribers. Some videos have views in the thousands. I myself have been the subject of a few videos when I attended a few events.

Craftsman – Like Kenmore, Craftsman is also a Sears company. And although the domestic, social butterfly in me chose Kenmore as my favorite, Craftsman has had even more success on YouTube. That channel has a massive 1,523 subscribers and the videos have received over 2.2 million views. Craftsman recently opened the macho counterpart to the Kenmore Live Studio in downtown Chicago called the Craftsman Experience. Videos showcase events, tools, and how to’s.

Old Spice – We have all seen the sexy, spicy (pun intended) Old Spice commercials. A good looking guy with muscles sets out to convince us that if we buy our men Old Spice, it will make them look like that. Well, not sure if it convinces us of that, but it certainly convinces us to watch, and watch, and watch… Anyway, late last year, Old Spice took their marketing and went viral with the Old Spice guy taking requests on what he should do and say next in his videos. People tweeted in requests, and soon after there was a video. He even picked on big name social media icons like Guy Kawaski, Gizmodo, and Alyssa Milano. There are now 247,185 subscribers to the Old Spice YouTube channel and almost 200 million upload views.

Geico – Geico has done a great job of entertaining us with funny commercials. They are witty and memorable. Some are insane. And they all deserve another look. Well, if you are like me and you love the Geico commercials, they are all uploaded for our giggling pleasure on their YouTube page. And, so that you don’t feel guilty, rest assured that you are not alone. The channel has 12,942 subscribers and the videos have received over 27.5 million views combined.

HP – Companies also realize that their customers like to be seen. Several companies have recently held video contests that reward users with great exposure and prizes.

The HP ePrint Live Comedy Sketch contest was a unique and fun way for customers to participate in a Comedy show. And it was great marketing for HP. The channel is now filled with funny skits that participants submitted which helped HP bring exposure to their YouTube page. The main HP YouTube page has 8,864 subscribers.

It is not only companies taking advantage of using video to market. Many bloggers now include vlogging (video blogging) in their weekly accounts of their life. Some are even so successful that that delve into podcasts and live web shows. And others get noticed and approached for their vlogging skills. It is a great way to get more exposure and expand your reach.

If you decide to use video to market yourself or your company, there are 5 simple tips that you might want to follow:

Have a theme – If your videos consistently follow the same theme, you are more likely to get viewers interested in coming back to see what’s next.

Customize your channel – The default YouTube channel is not very attractive. Take the time to brand your channel to match your company’s website, your blog, or your logo. Your visitors will connect and remember.

Brand your videos – Have a opening title screen, graphic, and something else memorable that makes it known where the video came from. This way if it is embedded or linked on other sites, you still get credit.

Promote your channel – When you upload a new video, you need to promote it. Tweet it, share it on Facebook, or blog about it. And encourage your followers to subscribe to your YouTube channel.

Have fun – If you enjoy what you are doing, it will come across in your work. Viewers will appreciate the care that you put into creating well-made vlogs, tutorials, commercials, or whatever your niche is, and they will come back for more.

Kris Cain is a Chicago area mom to 2 sets of twins, photography nut, gadget addict, web designer, and blogger who has worked in IT for over 13 years. On her blog, LittleTechGirl.com she writes about her love of gadgets, technology, and her children.